Monotonous tales and incoherent thoughts of a seething brain…Read at your peril

Somali Trees

Damal – plenty of Mayrax is gathered from this tree. Mayrax is obtained by a long process of separating very thin threads from the bark and branches of the trees. It is used making Kebdaha (sing. Kebed) – which has various uses but is widely used for loading camels or building houses.

Galool – Mayrax is obtained from this tree and it is used as ood – an enclosure for animals. Walking sticks and Hangools are usually preferred to be obtained from the branches of this tree and it is also widely used for building huts.

Dhirindhir – a white liquidy gum substance used as glue is obtained from this shrub. It is also widely used for making enclosures for animals and around the huts.

This tree is widely used for stopping bleeding. I’ve forgotten the name unfortunately. It is used widely by women after birth to stop post natal bleeding.

Bilcil – The bark of this tree is used as Culay to clean the utensils such as Haan, Hadhuub, etc. Goats prefer this tree, for when the leaves fall off, the earth becomes decorated with plenty of them and a feast for goats.

Higlo – This tree’s leaves never fall off come rain or shine. It stays green throughout and lives for a very long time – staying the same throughout. if I were to go to this place in Manshax twenty years later, this tree would still be as in this picture. Camels love eating the leaves of this tree.

Meygaag – This tree is present everywhere in Sool. The dried twigs of this tree are put in the fire for a while and then inserted in the Hadhuub and shaken vigorously – this is called Culay. It is also used to obtain tooth brushes.

Qudhac – An omnipresent tree as the Meygaag.Mayrax is also obtained from this tree. It also bears small fruits known as Qubca which animals love. The Mayrax is made into Kebdo for decorating huts. It is also used to make ood.

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

24 Responses

You never fail to impress the rest of us man,
as brotha I can only be proud and follow your steps to find the brighter side of our culture. Please let me know where I can buy your books, if u havent published a book already I seriously believe that u should get to it. Stuff I see in this blog is something that should be heard and see by our people and society at large.

Kulmiye, Thank you very much for the very kind comment walaal. I can only wish to be well-informed about the Somali culture – it is so huge and encompasses a great many things that are now unknown to many of us. But insha-Allah I will post whatever little information I find and share it with you. I do not possess enough knowledge and/or information about the culture to be writing a book about it, but insha-Allah I would love to do that, with some help of course. We will see how things go…

The write up is very resourceful and educative for the young people in towns who have not had the chance to see their culture:bravo
I am doing some project on somali containers, if you the tree used to make diil and surma and traditional baskets please send to me through my email.

I wish that many more younger Somalis were as passionate about their culture as you are. As an American who is interested both Somali language and culture, it disappoints me to see Somalis my age who speak less Somali that I do.
Waxaan rabaa inaan barto afka iyo dhaqanka oo dhan.

Thank you for this very helpful post. Would be grateful if anyone can tell me more about this tree, the boa-boa (boc-boc in Somali spelling?). Apparently it is also known as the Dharkayn tree, and the district of Dharkenley was named after the tree. Can anyone verify this, please? Thank you.

CoverOperations78, if you are talking about “booc-booc”, it is more like a bush rather than a tree. It grows wild in and around Mogadishu. (I am sure it grows in other areas of Somalia too). It is an evergreen hardy plant that can take root in sandy soil. Its leaves are broad and are covered with a thin layer of a white waxy substance that would stick to your hands if you touch it. Its stem and branches are soft and hollow. Its “fruits” (they hardly deserve the name) are about the size of a mangoe, ball-shaped and filled with air. Children use them as soccer balls although they are fragile and don’t last long. The “fruit” has an unpleasant smell. I remember playing soccer with its “fruits” as a child growing up in Mogadishu. Does this sound like the boa-boa you are interested in? The last time I was in Mogadishu (during the short-lived peace of 2006) I found a fully grown booc-booc standing all by itself in the sand dunes of Jasiira – south Mogadishu. I took a picture a picture of it but I am not sure I still have it. I will look for it and share it with you if I find it.

If I am not mistaken, the “dharkeyn” bush is different from the booc-booc. The name “dharkeyn” brings back to me vague memories I associate with a trip I took to the Ethiopian side of the border north of Hiiraan. It was during school break after my sophomore year in high school. I have hazy recollections of some resemblance between “dharkeyn” and “booc-booc.” But I could be wrong. North Hiiraan is a sort of transition between the northern and southern regions of Somalia. Some names of plants, trees, and other things change from that point north. So “dharkeyn” could the northern name for “booc-booc.” I think the word “dharkeyn” consists of “dhar” – clothes- and “keyn” which may mean “stain.” (Don’t take my word for it.) Booc-booc is definitely a “stainer of clothes” if one rubs against it.

Yusuf, thank you so much for your help. It was both enlightening and entertaining. So the booc-booc is a bush, rather than a tree, its branches are not strong, and it has a smelly, inedible, hollow fruit useful only as a ball. Got it. Many thanks!

Hello.
I am a Somali researcher and I am really glad that I stumbled upon this page while doing a bit of information gathering on the web, which I must say not at all related to this topic. However your page reminded me when I was doing my masters degree, I remember reading four volume information about Somali plants which really helped me to gain an indebt knowledge of the plants that grow in Somalia. I would suggest that you and your readers brow them from your local library and enjoy reading them.
Below given is a link that will enable you to see the names and IBN numbers of the four volumes which I enjoyed Reading themhttp://www.nhbs.com/flora_of_somalia_tefno_13928.html

Hassan Qoryoley
There is a big differen between Booc booc and Dharkeyn
Booc booc is a lower trees and soft but the dharkeyn is big trees which have shade , really booc is shrub trees where the Dharkeyn is annual trees

i went back home in the country life in 2013 and I reconciled my love for this edible tree called jinow, it has these small leaves that are perfect balance of sweat and sour and only grow when it’s rains, ari and geel aren’t a huge fans of it but I more than made up for that, I haven’t seen any seeds on it, according to my botanical knowledge after one semester of biology, if you know the name for it in English, let me know I intend to look for it